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The Van Kedisi - Turkish for Van Cat, and also known in Armenian as Վանա կատու (Van'a Gadou) - is a distinctive type of domestic cat that is found mainly in the Lake Van region of present-day Turkey.
It is a large cat frequently found with mismatched eyes. It is found in Turkey in various colorations, ranging from pure white to white with some additional coloring. It is similar in appearance to (and may be related to) the Angora cat. The connection between the Van Cat and the Turkish Van breed of cat is a subject of discussion and disagreement.
History
The Van Cat has been reported living in the vicinity of the city of Van for centuries, and medieval sources mention white cats as being one of the exports of the Van region. Numerous writers have commented on its existence.
An excerpt from a Turkish newspaper report from 1951 titled "Van, the most beautiful place in the World" by Yaşar Kemal, English translation in "Van, Turkish Republic Ministry of Culture information book 62", page 167, Ankara 1994.
"Is it possible to come to Van, explore it, and then go away without mentioning the famous Van cat? What do they tell you? These cats are famous for so many things. I make it my business to look into it. Some people say that nobody bothers about them any more and that they are near extinction and other say there are plenty of them, one in every house. They proved to be right, for there is one in every home.
The Van cat is quite large and milky white and when curled up you take it for a heap of cotton, so white is it. Of course, the Van cat’s most distinctive feature is its eyes for one eye is blue and the other amber. The eyes of some cats are hazel. I have never seen one like that but I, too, can bear witness to the fact that one eye is amber and the other blue. If transport weren’t so difficult, everyone could have a Van cat. The people of Van do not sell their cats, they are given to friends as a present."
Van cats mentioned in passing by the Russian writer and poet Sergei Gorodetsky, who was in Van on a humanitarian misson in 1917.
"Wide open, misshapen holes in place of windows and doors. Fetid air smelling of burnt flesh. And suddenly awful howls of starving dogs. Feral cats with dirty frazzled furs. And, more ruins, heaps of ash, charred walls, endless, with no mercy..."
He also wrote:
"The trade unions of Van had representatives not only in the eastern countries, Turkey and Russia, they could also be found as far as in Manchester and Hamburg. They sold the artifacts of the highly talented master artisans of Van, and even, as mentioned in the periodical Mourj, the fluffy white cats of Van that were universally famed".
The British traveller Richard Wilbraham arrived in Van in the 1830s, and in his account of his meeting with the pasha (governor) of Van he wrote:
On the Divan, beside the Pasha, were seated two of the beautiful long-haired cats for which Van is famous, with tails almost like a foxes brush. (Captain Richard Wilbraham, "Travels in the Transcaucasian Provinces of Russia", London, 1839.)
Characteristics
The cats are notable for their lean, long-legged appearance. They are reported to like water more than most cats, and have been seen swimming in Lake Van. They are described as being "terrible house pets". They are reported to be friendly and intelligent, but also to howl more than meow, take pleasure in breaking things, and be very jealous of other animals in the house. Also, given the scarcity of the breed, few veterinarians will spay or neuter them.
Their most notable genetic characteristic is their often mismatched almond-shaped eyes. The most valued and valuable members of the breed generally have one amber-green eye and one blue eye. They also reportedly have a genetic tendency to deafness.
Current status
During the late 1990s the Van Cat emerged as an informal municipal symbol of the city of Van – an enormous statue of a Van Cat and kitten now stands at the entrance to the city, and the cat appears in a local comic strip, and in the logos of bus companies, shopping centres, various businesses, etc. Ironically, this paralleled a serious decline in Van Cat numbers – possible due to an increase in urbanisation and the loss of the old "garden suburb" districts of Van to apartment blocks. Today, most Van Cats live in the villages that surround Van city.
In the mid-1990s the "Van Cat House", a Van Cat breeding and research center, was established within the campus of Van University (Van Yüzüncü Yıl Universitesi / Van Hundredth Year University). However, the living conditions for the cats held there remains much to be desired, and the breeding program seems to be ineffective in reversing the Van Cats’ declining numbers. The center currently (2006) houses about 100 adult, young cats, and kittens, and is open to the public for a nominal entrance fee.
At the end of the 19th century, Sultan Abdul Hamid II is said to have owned a Van Cat, and owning a Van Cat is still seen as a status symbol: a Prime Minister of Turkey received one as a gift, and an ambassador from Greece put himself on a waiting list to get one. Kittens for the breeding center could be purchased for $30 in 2006, but their export from Turkey is theoretically outlawed, with a reported fine of $50,000.
To increase the population of the Van Kedisi, the local government of Van instituted a program which would pay residents the equivalent of $38.00 per month to keep one. This program was discontinued by a later government.
References
- "Van, Turkish Republic Ministry of Culture information book 62", Ankara 1994.
- "Van City Guide", Ankara, 2005.
- "Turkey takes action to save rare breed of feline" by Susanne Fowler
- Travel Guide to Turkey
- Turkish Van - Great Pet Advice